FAA will award the contract for the ground infrastructure of Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) contract by Aug. 30, Administrator Marion Blakey said last week at the Experimental Aviation Association show in Oskosh, Wis. Industry teams led by ITT, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are vying for the contract. “We’ve got Aug. 30 circled on the calendar. That’s a big day for us,” Blakey said. “By that date, we’ll award the contract to the company that’s going to help us really launch full force into NextGen. We expect the deal will be worth close to $1 billion, and we’ve got three of the best teams ever put together competing for this, so more news to come very shortly.” With Congress considering FAA reauthorization legislation, Blakey said a cost-based air traffic system is the most efficient and equitable way to fund projects, including ADS-B, associated with the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen. “Now it’s time for the aviation community to come together with Congress to get a bill done before our taxes expire on Sept. 30,” she said. “The point is, without a cost-based system that provides dedicated revenues for NextGen projects like ADS-B, there’s the very real possibility that you won’t be able to fly when you want, where you want. I can’t put it any plainer than that.”